This
totally new and unique school teaches
the art of breathing and was created by
Michel-Laurent
Dioptaz. (The official M.L. Dioptaz site) in France (1991). Complete symbiosis
between meditation and action, breathing
by the practice of the blowpipe is raised
at the same time to the level of an art,
a sport and a Zen meditation. (The
practice of the
qi
gong and the zazen
are closely related to it).
Coming from the first awareness of the
human breath, the blowgun is reborn here
to accompany us in our most subtle breath
of consciousness. M. L. Dioptaz reactivated
this prehistoric tool to transpose it
into a precious instrument, which allows
exploring the most refined states of attention,
intuition and decision-making.
The caliber of Sarbacana's
blowguns, the weight and the shape of
arrows were redefined for the Blower to
produce a very powerful ventral exhalations,
(exhalations called, in respiratory physiotherapy,
V.E.M.S: Maximum Ventilation Expiratory
per Second.) This was done to achieve
the " arrows-of-breath " which come, quite
at the same moment, from the center of
the body and the center of the spirit.
It is necessary to know that the Sarbacana blowpipes
are really very particular, totally specific
in all the aspects of their conception:
(In fiberglass and resin,
then cooked a dozen hours)
blowpipes Sarbacana
( 1,80m - 2 meters
long, 17,2mm inside Diameter)
are so light (200
grams) as the slightest
emotion makes them vibrate. This detail
is revealing of the philosophy of this
art
Their
profile, in the same way, upsets completely
our usual notions of aiming. Indeed it
offers a
totally new optical process (invented
by M.L. Dioptaz ©®)
conceived in a way that it implies our
peripheral vision at the same time as
our central vision. (What
allows to aim no longer by the usual process
of focusing (an eye - blowpipe-target
alignment), but by " defocusing ", by
opening our perceptions everywhere.)
Our
arrows (7grams
-20grams, 30cm long)
are different too; they behave as sails,
and, to imply our ventral breath, are
4 times as heavy as those used in the
countries where the blowpipe survived.
Furthermore the pupils themselves realize
them and their manufacture is a part of
the way of Sarbacana.
The firing line may be as far back as 10
Meters, 18 Meters, 33 Meters,
85 Meters (approximately 11
yards, 20 yards, 36 yards,
(93 yards (darts 10g
).
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" What's the use of it "?
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The
objective is to touch one's own center
and not only that of the
target. In fact, to reach the target
is not any more the end. The magic moment
of Sarbacana is situated at the time of
the breath, not in that of the impact.
The principle is based on the " kiaï ",
(the shout which, in
the martial arts, transforms the expiration
into a powerful energy, revitalizing the
movement in a decisive action..)
just like "raaan!" which accompanies the
ax of the lumberjack; in the practice
of the martial arts, the " kiaï
" shout should spring at the same moment
as the issue of energy. In Kyudô (the
archery in the way of Zen),
Kiaï should be produced at the same time
as the release of arrow. For Sarbacana,
it's the same, and it could not be otherwise
because Kiaï is the release of arrow.
It is Kiaï, which revitalizes the
arrow. Without this Kiaï, there is no
arrow.
Like a tiger jumping up from the peacefulness of its
passivity - springs the "kiaï" of silence.
A jet of sharp silence, the shout of which
is the arrow. No preparation, apprehension,
before this jet of breath, just an inspiration
as the others, which - just like that
- is transformed into a lightning exhalation!
A flash of lightning of breath in the
blue sky of the breath, then the breath
resumes its peaceful, deep, regular rhythm.
This tremendous percussion of the breath
is led without the slightest shred of
aggressiveness. It is a force similar
to the sculptor's hammer blow, the explosive
power of which springs from a spirit,
that caresses the forms of the world.
During this "throw-of-an arrow", objective-intuition-decision-action
are bound in the same breath, which allows
to investigate and to realize this quality
of presence where "release-grip" and
"decision-taking" do not make more than
one (with all the
blooming as physical as psychic that it
gets.)
This
jet of breath originates in the center
of the body, in the same place as songs
and laughter... Indeed, laughter and jet
of breath involve exactly the same muscular
group: the abdominal-diaphragmatic couple.
But one can notice that this muscular
group is very often blocked for emotional
or biological reasons. So, by relaxing
the diaphragm, stimulating the parasympathetic
nervous system and favoring the oxygenation,
this practice is a good remedy for all
the confusion bound to the stress.
For whom?
It suits all, because besides
the totally specific ends, which this
discipline offers, the qualities of breath,
concentration and decision taking which
it develops makes of it an excellent training
for any other discipline, and indeed for
everyday life. With this breath, which
makes the body and the spirit merge, Sarbacana
places our attention at the place where
the present moment delivers its education.
In this, this school pertains to ways
of Taoïsm, Ch'an, Zen or whichever other
discipline invites us to settle on the
"here now ".
.
Foundations
Every person taking the time to observe
the mechanism of one's breath knows that
every feeling, every emotion, every state
of being come together with a specific
breath.
One knows as well that modifying
our breath allows to change our state
of being. Naturally, all the types of
breaths can throw arrows, and one can
blow arrows in all states of mind. But
one can notice how every state of mind
does not have the same attitude in the
relation to the "purpose" which one wills
to achieve. To investigate these different
breaths is one of the "raison d'être"
of SARBACANA.
And
this face to face confrontation with the
target reproduces ideally the quintessence
of the conditions of our life of every
moment: "choose", "decide", "act", " achieve
" and so on... But all this be resolved,
this time, by the intelligence of the
breath (
Ki-Chi), the intelligence
of the hara (the "stomach", in the Japanese
martial arts), This target, which become
a perfect representation of the different
"purposes" we intend to achieve throughout
the existence, is going to allow us to
investigate the various types of breaths
which determine our entry into the action.
Every
arrow-of-breath crosses and puts in evidence
our exact quality of attention, until
the blowing person, the blowpipe, the
arrow, the target and the surrounding
space do not make more than one. There
is one of the essential aspects of the
practice of Sarbacana: bring the state
of consciousness led by the consideration
to rub, confront and merge into the spirit
of everyday life.
Therefore,
this school does not feel the need to
award ranks to its pupils. All the parameters
are such as, in every jet-of-breath, a
Sarbacanaka knows exactly where he stands,
and especially who he is. The exact gesture
finds confirmation in itself. We have
therefore no need to establish values,
which would become "proofs" seen from
the outside world, because what one aims
at, what is "reached" is the center of
one-self, the "Being". He proves himself
seen from inside. He does not need an
approval. It is life, which awards him
the "Medals", "diplomas", and this takes
place all the time, by the quality of
the lived experience of the moment. (However,
within the scope of the growth and of
the perpetuity of this discipline, and
to insure quality, we were all the same
brought up to establish degrees of qualification,
especially to guarantee that those who
will teach Sarbacana in the future have
the proper qualification. With this we
resumed the principle of "Dan"
grades such as they exist in the Japanese
Martial arts (kyudo). This type of reference
is at the moment very clear for all and
recognized internationally.)
Breath is life; the Blowpipe, by its "jet-of-breath",
is the expression of this life force,
the " jet of life ". But quite as life
should be enlightened by consciousness,
the practice of Sarbacana
is a meditation, which is going to
consist in enlightening every arrow
of breath of our finest attention.
The shot of Sarbacana is preceded by a
Kata,
series of gestures, very slow (a tai chi),
close to the choreography of the kyudô
(the art of the Japanese archery, in the
way of the Zen). This preparation brings
to the Sarbacana blower the peace and
the concentration necessary for the quality
of his shot.
So,
in every arrow we investigate this subtle
joint of the consciousness where is determined
the just choice, the just decision. We
have a fraction of a second so that objective
- intuition-decision-action is totally
synchronized, bound in a single breath.
No more way to delay with oneself, just
a fraction of a second to be completely
present, body and spirit reunited in
the same expiration. The intelligence
in the stomach, in the " hara ".
Breath
is life; the Blowpipe, by its "jet-of-breath",
is the expression of this life force,
the " jet of life ". But quite as life
should be enlightened by consciousness,
the practice of Sarbacana
is a meditation which is going to
consist in enlightening every arrow
of breath of our finest attention.
The
"shot" Sarbacana is preceded by a Kata,
series of gestures, very slow ( a tai
chi ), close to the choreography of the
kyudô (the art of the Japanese archery,
in the way of the Zen). This preparation
brings to the Sarbacana blower the peace
and the concentration necessary for the
quality of his shot.
So, in every arrow we investigate this
subtle joint of the consciousness
where is determined the just choice, the
just decision. We have a fraction of a
second so that objective - intuition-décision-action
is totally synchronized, bound in a single
breath. No more way to delay with
oneself, just a fraction of a second to
be completely present, body and spirit
reunited in the same expiration. The
intelligence in the stomach, in the "
hara ".
During the exhalation, the
blowpipe is to us as... instinctive,
Natural
prolongation of the mouth, such as an
extension of the lips accompanying the
breath. Thus, with the tube of a ballpoint
pen, with that of a bamboo, from the far
end of the classroom, in the middle of
the virgin forests, all the children of
the world do not fail to invent-to reinvent
the blowpipe. It is like the first gesture
of the breath creating the tool. Then
we hide the blowpipe in our childhood
memories... This is probably why the amazing
applications of this tool on our breath
had been little explored .
It is surprising that the practice
of the blowpipe has not developed in the
world at least as a sport, whereas it
is the manifestation of the energy of
the breath, this breath that is the basis
of any sport, of any life. However this
gushing, this throw of breath, is as primarily
human as it is: to run, jump, fight, dance,
shoot with a bow or throw the javelin...
So, although the practice of
this discipline is quite recent, the gestures
of the breath, the gestures of the spirit
which it activates and rides are so essentially
human that, in its practice, it's as if
this education went back to the previous
history of our humanity, as an ascent
of recollections of
a profound forgotten tradition.
Very often in people's minds,
the notion of "tradition" is synonymous
with something immovable. And yet, we
can see that the traditions of "Awakening",
the traditions of Zen, have for
objective to preserve the most changeable
thing, which is - the moment... The present
moment! So one can normalize the road,
which leads to the Awakening, but its
realization is a supreme non-normalization.
And it is this non-normalization, which
is "Awakening". Traditions of the spontaneous!
Paradoxical traditions... The "Sharp edge"
of the Zen is traditionally non-traditional.
Getting
off Tobacco can also be considered
here, because we can notice, that "Blowpipe"
and "cigarette" originate in the same
place: they are placed between lips and
are involved with breathing, but while
the smoker inhales waste, the Sarbacanaka
exhales. . Because of this similitude,
the transition from cigarette smoking
to blowpipe may become sublimation. .